Pantalea
by Citruline
Summary: As the rite of the blossoming is undergoing, Gray waits and watches. Natsu/Gray if you squint.


Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

* * *

 **Pantalea**

As the celebration was about to begin, people started heading towards the large main square where said celebration would be held.

The large slabs of white stone underfoot shone under the moonlight in the few free spaces, the crowd had still left a path to be threaded through.

On the edges of the square, torches had been lit but the moonlight was, at the moment, the main source of it.

Gray could hear chants and prayers through the open portal he and his colleagues had yet to go through. They were all waiting impatiently in their pristine white uniforms, Gray could feel the comforting weight of his weapon on his hip.

They weren't expecting troubles but it was always best to be prepared.

Gray looked at the nightsky and waited.

* * *

"The ancient prosperity, which no storyteller knows," the man in a dark brown cloak – whose presence hadn't been all that imposing just moments ago – was saying to the mystified crowd, "this might just be the time for gathering what they were waiting for. We're living an important moment, the end of a cycle and so there's need for a new wave of life. The blessing shall befall over all of us."

* * *

Natsu shifted his weight from foot to foot, impatient. He didn't overly like waiting and now, just staying in this place while both waiting and still trying to wrap his head around what he was intending to do…

It was colossal…

His hands curled into fists and his right one brushed against the uncovered skin of his thigh. The reason as to why he was in his current situation, lining up with a few other candidates.

The mark of the flower in his skin…

Despite everything, Natsu had a good feeling.

Natsu gave a couple of pulls to his light grey tunic, he wasn't used to the tightness of the collar. Still, he imagined his figure, the grey clashed awfully with the pink of his hair. A snort nearly escaped him at the same time that he tugged ineffectually at his collar once more.

He wasn't used to things being so tight around his neck but he sure missed the coziness of his scarf…

A round of applause reached him, coming from the outside, and that brought Natsu back from his musings to the reality.

It was almost time…

* * *

"Oh birds, oh beasts, oh spirits,

fragments of memories…

Oh, every single living being,

let us praise the miracle of this night."

The man in the brown cloak exhorted as he pointed to the large dark mass to his side.

The crowd's attention followed him, the low murmur of prayers slowly spreading out like a blot of ink over fabric.

* * *

Gray looked around from his vantage point.

The crowd was looking raptly towards the grand fleur, the mass which at the time was, well, pretty dead…

There was a small commotion as the crowd silenced itself at the arrival of the chosen ones.

* * *

"Pantalea, bloom now,

like the compassion of the blue stars.

Pantalea, release your aroma,

lighting up the feelings, fully bloom now, flower of mysteries.

Dance now, even above this ruined world.

Ah, fill us with delight…"

* * *

As the man said those words Natsu started noticing the first stirrings in the great mass that was the flower. It was still mostly an amorphous dark mass but under the bright moonlight and the action of the constellation that went through the common name of Blue Stars, the large outward petals started being infused with a dark blue colour.

Natsu and the remaining chosen ones walked towards the flower.

Before their eyes the flower was undergoing a wondrous change, the deadened black petals becoming firm and tall, the dark blue colour becoming lighter before it bled downwards and left a vibrant crimson, a twinkling shining at the edges at odd moments.

As the whole of the blue disappeared, light started emitting from the large flower, though weakly as the button hadn't bloomed yet.

A sudden moment of apprehension seemed to take over the others. But not Natsu.

No, Natsu's blood seemed to be rushing alongside to the flower's changes, the fire in his blood not wanting to be contained by his skin anymore.

* * *

A white light shone dimly from the flower.

Gray felt a stirring deep in his core.

A blue light followed, shinning slightly brighter.

Gray had to tamp down on his sudden urge to follow the beckon.

And then flames, tall and bright, sprouted from the flower, bathing the whole square in golden light.

The sky was filled with butterflies, their white and translucent wings dancing against the nightsky, making them look like dancing stars.

From the flower emerged fireflies, spreading out in every direction, their light still connected to the core of the flower by small tendrils.

A peaceful feeling spread inside of Gray.

"Of the ones that passed away, there isn't even a single-named vestige remaining." Gray heard the cloaked man, the Master, say and his mind instantly flew to the ruins outside the town. They were abandoned and were the root of the current town. It was one of the big mysteries, why the large stone buildings had been abandoned and the new town built so close to it. And then Gray's attention strayed again towards the cloaked man.

"And turning the wishes of those who lived and died into our sustenance, let us summon upon this world a new miracle."

* * *

They were way into the night and the large flower had reached its maximum expansion, the flame rising up to the sky.

Natsu was at his expected place, alongside the others, his eyes were open quite wide in astonishment due to the sheer size of the flower.

And then the old Master started pleasing, from the other side of the flower.

"Pantalea, the night will soon end.

Before long, the flower will fall in a deep sleep.

Pantalea, just once in a year,

just once, bloom, oh hope."

And right in front of Natsu, the flower started slowly blooming. However, before the outer petals had so much as separated slightly from the main body of the flower, large flames shot out.

One headed straight at Natsu but before he could so much as move a muscle, the flame had enveloped him and curler around him like a warm embrace.

On the distance, Natsu could hear people moaning in pain, the sudden scent of burnt flesh fleetingly reaching his nose. Natsu paid no mind to those distractions, he walked towards the flower, compelled to touch the silky texture of the petals.

* * *

Gray stood behind, eyes glued to the new chosen Master. The chaos that came with those who hadn't been chosen had subsided as those who had been burned has been taken to the infirmary. But Gray wasn't worried, in the morning they would be as good as new.

The grand fleur wouldn't hurt anyone.

Gray's attention was brought back to the new Master. He was touching the flower, his tunic and trousers painted in the same crimson colour that the flower had taken previously.

Gray crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky before his eyes were brought back to the chosen one – and it boggled Gray to some degree, what was it in that pink-haired person that attracted him so already?

The old Master's words made him turn his gaze back at the sky.

"Pantalea, descend,

receive the blessed rain, so the greenness may sprout again."

As expected a light drizzle started falling over them – but Gray knew that it would be stronger throughout the land around the square.

"Pantalea, believe,

that someday, life will revolve once again."

More petals started opening up and Gray noticed how the new Master had disappeared, how he now was inside the flower.

"Pantalea, with the shining

wind at your side, quickly bloom."

And the flower did, as a gust of wind swept the square.

The corner of Gray's mouth tilted up slightly as his jacket flapped around him, the pull of the magic under his skin getting stronger again.

"Pantalea, eternally,

riding on feelings, continue dreaming on, flower of prayers."

As the old Master said those last words the flower, completely bloomed, started emitting a light. It was so bright that lit the whole world in a wave of immense, twinkling light, the strength of the light leaving a warm, comforting feeling on Gray's and everybody's core.

And then the light dimmed quickly, the crowd cheering and praying and dancing.

Slowly they started leaving the square.

Gray saw another, though much smaller, flash of light and the new Master stumbling from the grand fleur. He seemed exhausted and it was without surprise that Gray saw him fall to his knees.

Gray hurried to his side.

"Come on, time to go." He said to the exhausted youth. Bleary eyes looked up at him from beneath sweaty clumps of pink hair, before his gaze returned to the ground. The new Master let out a weary sigh.

Gray shook his head and hefted the youth up, and started taking him towards his quarters. He noticed that the sun was starting to peek in the horizon.

'This one's going to be fun…' he couldn't help but think. 'Yep, I have the feeling that with this new Master we're not going to get bored.'

It was with the beginnings of a smile that Gray brought the other inside the large building.

* * *

 **A/N:** Quick bunny that didn't stop nagging at me. This is super AU and somewhat based on a song by Shikata Akiko. Gray's a guard and Natsu's the new… well, it's a kind of priest.

Anyway, yep, I'm still alive and kicking, somewhat. But haven't had much time to write as of late and now this is what I have. ^^'

Feedback's always awesome.


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